Portable safety and trouble light



Sept. 30, 1952 A. N. ANTON PORTABLE SAFETY AND TROUBLE LIGHT Filed July 29, 1950 :EI. 480 as INVENTOR.

.404 N. 4/vro/v ATTORNEV Patentecl Sept. 30, 1952 PORTABLE SAFETY ANi) r no Application July '29, 1950, Serial No. 176,109

2 Claims.

. The present invention relates generally to a .rivloreover, theIuse-of'the trouble light and more particularly, but not exclusively to a portable safety and trouble light which is especially adapted for use with automobiles and other vehicles in the event of emergencies requiring repair: on 'a highway or other thoroughfare.

In. emergencies occurring in connection with automobiles, such as, for example, flat tires or engine. failure, particularly at night and on rural highways where vehicles normally travel at relatively high rates of speed, the occupant or other person attempting .to repair or service the automobile under such conditions is frequently subjected to considerable dangerdue to passing-vehicles. The person also has substantial difficulty in making such necessary repairs without a speciallight adapted to be directed on the immediate area orpart of the vehicle under repair.

' In the event of such emergencies, the automobile must normally be parked while making the necessary repairs relatively near thehigha way, such as on the road shoulder. Any repairs which must be made on the side of the vehicle adjacent the road is particularly hazardous and increases the possibility of serious bodily injury to the person making such repairs. 1

At thepresent time, the conventional automobile is not provided with any special light for warning oncoming vehicles or' with a suitable trouble light whichmay be used in repairing damaged parts-thereof. The taillights on present-day automobile models are relatively dim and are completely ineffective in warning motorists traveling at relatively high rates'of speed in sufficient' time to take' any necessary safety precautions. In consequence, each year many persons are killed or injured through accidents which i would have been avoided if the parked car were provided with adequate warning orsafety lights.

:Frequently, motoristscarry flashlightsor other lighting devices havingself-contained batteries or other sources of power which are used alternately to warn oncoming vehicles andtolight the areaunder repair. Such lighting devices have been found unsatisfactory for most purposes, since their power must be quite limited for economic reasonsand also for the reason that such a.device must be compact and lightweight. Inaddition, flashlights, for example, utilize dry cell'batteries which deteriorate with age and since trouble and safety lights in connection with automobiles are normally used at rather infrequent intervals, the useful life of such. batteries is rela-a tivelyshort. v 1

2 same light for. warning motorists and in. aiding .in the repair of the vehicle unduly prolongs the time necessary for such repairsand, accordingly, increases the. possibility of personal. injury or serious accident.

It is, accordingly, an important object of this invention toprovide aportable safety and trouble light whichvis. adapted. particularly for usewith automobileszand other. vehicles to light the; part or area of the vehicle which requires repair and which also i is adapted to. simultaneously 1 warn motorists approaching from opposite directions so that'the. latter, may decrease the speed of their vehicles and take any other precautions which are necessary under the conditions.

Another object is to provide a portable safety and trouble. light of the above type which is simple to use and manufacture and which is-v compact, inexpensive,andhighly efficient. I

a Another object is to provide a. portable safety and trouble. light in;- accordance with the above objects. which is also adapted to utilize sufficient powerto, adequately light the part or area of the vehicleunderrepairand also to direct a beam of light in the direction of oncoming vehicles of suflicientintensity to warn the motorists therein in ample time to permit them to slow their vehicles and to take any other necessary precautions; i

, Another object of this invention is to provide a portable safety and trouble light which is adapted to be connected to the storage battery of an automobile and preferably which is adapted to be connected into the cigarette lighter outlet or socket on the dashboard of the automobile- Another object of this invention .is to provide a safety and trouble .li'ght of the above type ada'ptedto be set alongside the vehicle and-which is provided witha red'light or lens on opposite ends thereof for warning oncoming motorists, the light' preferablyv having a flasher or similar device. Other objects of this invention will appear in thetfollowing description and appended .claims, reference being. had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference I characters: designate correspondingzparts in the several views. In the drawings: I Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portable safety and trouble light embodying the features of: the present invention and shown electrically connected intoxthe cigarette lighter outlet'oftheconventionalvehicle.

'Fig. 2yis atop plan view of av modification of the portable. safety and trouble light of the pressafety and trouble light shown in Fig. 1. l

Figs. 4 and 5 are two separatemodifications of schematic wiring diagrams for the safety and trouble light shown in Fig. 2.

Before explaining the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed or carried out in variou ways. Also it is to-be understood that the phraseology or terminologyemployed herein is for the purpose'of 1 description and not of limitation. N

The safety andtrouble light of the presentinvention is especially adaptedv to be carried in a vehicle for use in emergencies, such as fiat tires andthe like. It is a self-contained unit preferablyhaving a pairof .redwarning lightsmounted ina housing and directed in opposite directions to warn oncoming motorists of the danger imposed by suchemergency. The safety and trouble light is'also provided witha white floodlight, either mounted within the housingor provided with an extension wire so that the safety'device may remain in an obvious position, such ason'the side of the vehicle; while the flood light or trouble light is'imoved'about during repair of thevehicle.

The safety and trouble light of the present invention is also provided with electrical leads which are adapted to be connected to the storage battery or into the electrical system of the vehicle so-that the device may have the relatively large source of electrical power without additionally increasing the weight, bulk or expense of thedevice itself. Preferably, the electrical'leads are provided with an electrical connectorplugwhich is adapted'to be inserted into a cigarette lighter outlet or socket on the dashboard or instrument panel of the vehicle, thus pe'rmitting'easy and ready attachment of the light in case of an emergeny I The safety and-trouble light disclosed herein is so designed that when the safety and trouble light is not in use, it may be compactly carried "within a box or housing and the various lights securely held therein so as to prevent damage due to vibrati-on, jolts, and vehicle. I With reference to the drawings,...and with the like, during operation of the reference particularly to Fig. lthereof, the portable safety and trouble light is shown compr ising a housing 22 having mounted in the ends thereof a pair of safety lights 30, preferably having a red lens ora red bulb therein, The safety lights are connected through a-flasher. unit .32 or similar device and a switch 34 (see Fig. .3) to a terminal (not shown). An extension wire has a connector plug 42 securedto the terminal'and also a connector plug 43 which is adapted. to' be inserted into a, cigarette lighter socket or outlet 12 on the'vehicle dashboard, or instrument panel Ill. The safety and'troublelightalso comprises a trouble light connected directly. to the source of electrical power (see Fig. 3) by means of an extension wire 52, a socket connector 54, and a terminal provided within the housing '(not shown). A switch 56 is providedin this circuit for con-. trolling the operation of the trouble light 50.

As shown in Fig. 1,.the housing 22 is formed of anysuitable material and provided with a bottom (not shown), sidewalls23 and '24 and a' hinged cover 25. The housing is also provided with a transverse wall 26 forming a compartment 44 for retaining the extension wire or cord 40 and also .forming the compartment 51 for receiving the trouble light 50 and extension wire 52 when the safety and trouble light 20 is not in use.

A pair of guides 10 and 12 are secured within the compartment 51 of the housing 22 and are adapted to slidably receive the trouble light 50. As shown particularly in Fig. 1, the guides 10 and 12 are provided with complemental guide slots H and 13, respectively, which are adapted to receive extensions 58 on the trouble light 50 when the latter is not in use.

The trouble light 50 is provided with a wire handle 59 for carrying the light durin its use and has a hook 60 which may be used to hang the light adjacent the part of the vehicle under repair.

When the trouble light 50 is placed in the compartment 51 as described above, the handle 59 is swung to a substantially horizontal position, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, and the hook 60 is disposed in a recess 6! provided in the upper edge of the transverse wall 26.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing in-which a white trouble light lens is mounted in the front wallof the housing 8| in addition to a pair of red lenses 83 mounted in the ends thereof. A single bulb 83 isprovided within the'housing 8| for use'as a common source of light for all of the lenses and a single switch 84 is mounted within the housing to control the operation thereof.

In this modification, the light may burn continuously when the switch 84 is closed, thus giving a steady light through the trouble light as well as through the red warning lenses. A suitable wiring diagram for such an arrangement.;is schematically illustrated in Fig. 4. However, if

desired, a flasher-85 may also be providedin the circuit as shown in the schematic wiring diagram of Fig. 5 which will provide a flashing light for each of the lenses. h While the safety and trouble light disclosed. herein is preferably adapted to be plugged into a cigarette lighter outlet, the cord-40 of the device maybe provided with a suitable clampingmechanism for securing the same directly to theiterminal of the automobile storage battery. Also, the cord 40 may be provided with a suitable connector for plugging into any'other electrical outlet on the automobile, such, forexample, as light sockets orthe like. However, the modification disclosed using the cigarette lighter outlet is preferred due tovthe' convenience of its location,

the ease of making the connection, and the I relatively large amperage which'the connection is clear, however, that the trouble light may be also used independently of the safety light in camps, at picnics, at cottages, or the like.

The light disclosed herein is simple in use an manufacture, compact, lightweight, inexpensive and highly eflicient. 'It is adapted for usewith a storage battery of an automobile, such that the device may haveavailable a sufiicientsupplyof power so that it. may fully and adequately light the part of the automobile under investigation or repair, and so that it will provide an amply intense red light in opposite directions to warn oncoming motorists, thereby to permit the motorist to take any necessary precautions which may be desirable under the particular circumstances.

To further simplify the use of the device, the light of the present invention is adapted for connection into the cigarette lighter outlet of the vehicle which is normally located in a convenient place and which is provided with electrical connections capable of carrying a relatively large amperage.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A safety and trouble light adapted to be used for an emergency light and comprising a housing having end walls, sidewalls, a bottom and a hinged top cover and also having a transverse wall forming a plurality of compartments therein, a red warning light mounted in each of the end walls of said housing and electrical circuit within said housing for said warning-lights and including a flasher, a trouble light adapted to be moved to a position remote from said housing and provided with an extension wire, an electrical'circuit for said trouble light carried by said housing, and extension wire for electrically connecting said circuits to an external source of electrical power, said extension wires being detachable from said circuit when said light is not in use, one of said compartments being adapted to receive the extension wire of said trouble light and having a pair of guides therein having complementary slots for slidably receiving said trouble light, said trouble light having a wire handle pivotally connected thereto and provided with a hook portion, said transverse wall being provided with a slot in the upper edge thereof for receiving said hook when said trouble light is in assembled position within said housing.

2. A safety and trouble light in accordance with claim 1 and being further characterized in that the extension wire for electrically connecting the circuits to an external source of electrical power is provided with an electrical plug adapted to be connected into a cigarette lighter outlet of a vehicle. Y

ADAM N. ANTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,543,093 Braunsdorfl" Feb. 27, 1951 

